The very best from the world of smooth jazz and classic soul.

April 30, 2007

Aside from the huge yet subtle orchestras that provided the back drop to much of the greatest soul music of the 60’s and 70’s it was when I first heard the violin being used to such sensational effect on Miles Jayes 1987 classic ‘I’ve Been A Fool For You’ that I realised the instrument has its own place in the fabric of popular music. The years have done nothing to change that view yet, with the notable exceptions of the wonderful Karen Briggs and the under hyped Gwen Laster, violinists remain relatively few and far between on the R & B and contemporary jazz scenes. Someone trying to change all that is Mark Cargill whose 2003 album ‘Your Love’ is an outstanding example of how the violin can add a whole new dimension to a genre traditionally dominated by saxophone, guitar and keyboards.

April 28, 2007

For all sorts of reasons the brand new CD from Norman Brown, ‘Stay With Me’, could not have come at a better time. The previous success Brown had with Urban AC radio when garnering airplay for his 2004 vocal debut ‘I Might’ proved he is no stranger to the urban influences currently permeating the landscape of contemporary jazz. Now, with ‘Stay With Me’, he totally embraces urban jazz and nails it with ten incredible tracks that are without a single weak link. In fact he writes or co-writes nine of the songs and, as well as displaying his inventive talent as a guitarist, also expands considerably on his vocal prowess. Additionally, it helps that for three of the tracks he has the cutting edge production skill of Paul Brown on tap.

April 26, 2007

By way of something different we are looking beyond the headline artists of the hit Fox TV show ‘American Idol’ to a couple of performers from the smooth jazz world who are contributing to the house band that make many of these wannabe pop stars sound better than they ever deserve to.

In fact all the hype this week has been about the ‘American Idol’ two day charity extravaganza that was staged in conjunction with the Charity Projects Entertainment Fund. While America jammed the phone lines expecting to kick their least favorite ‘Idol’ off the show much of the proceeds from callers went to help deprived children and young people in the USA and Africa. Although 70 million votes were cast and $30 million raised for the ‘Make Poverty History’ fund the ultimate twist in the tale ended with the decision not to eliminate anyone. Only time will tell if this was a blunder by the organizers but, despite excellent ratings, they also have problems with the show’s talent. Melinda Doolittle apart, this years crop of contestants are OK at best and consequently it’s just as well we have Smooth Jazz Therapy favorite Paul Jackson Jr on guitar as a constant in the Idol live show lineup.

Jackson’s 2003 CD ‘Still Small Voice’ is a masterpiece, his contributions to some of the best contemporary jazz and R & B recordings of the last twenty years are legendary and as solo performer he is outstanding. However this week on the Idol show, with top notch flautist Valerie King sitting in as part of the expanded 44 piece orchestra, he was in great company. King’s latest CD ‘Only Time Will Tell’ was featured here in July of 2006. It followed closely on the heels of her Grammy nominated debut release ‘Today, Tomorrow and Forever’ and both are well worth checking out.

April 24, 2007

For the second time in a week Smooth Jazz Therapy is able to report on a fresh new release from an Atlanta based sax man. This time it’s the turn of Ron James who’s debut CD ‘I Feel Ya’ is out today. Originally from Brooklyn NY and raised in Miami FL Ron has shared the stage with headline performers that include Phil Perry, Jill Scott, Anne Nesby, Frank McComb and Mike Phillips. ‘I Feel Ya’ is an extremely commendable first solo effort and is made more so by the fact that (when reprises are factored in) he writes or co-writes nine of the ten tracks.

April 22, 2007

‘Something To Ride 2’ is the brand new CD from Atlanta born and based saxophonist Dee Lucas. Available from April 16 through the independent label Mo Better Recordings it is a superb example of some of the best urban smooth jazz you will hear all year and follows his 2004 debut ‘Remembrance’. This homage to the great George Howard was greeted with stunning reviews, garnered extensive airplay and laid the foundation for prominent engagements to open for artists such as Roy Ayers, Hugh Masakela, The Gap Band and Lalah Hathaway. All the more remarkable is the fact that this 40-year-old self-taught musician did not pick up the sax until the age of 28.

April 17, 2007

It could be said that pianist Lao Tizer is making up for lost time. His brand new fourteen track seventy seven minute epic ‘Diversify’ comes almost six years after his previous release ‘Golden Soul’ hit the streets and is a collection of self penned tunes that demonstrates in a number of interesting ways that he really can ‘diversify’. Tizer is a native of Boulder Colorado and as an enterprising 14 year old began performing at local malls for tips. By the age of seventeen he had released three albums and after moving to Los Angeles hooked up with Chieli Minucci who produced ‘Golden Soul’ for him. Tizer welcomes back Minucci to guest on ‘Diversify’ where he is in the good company of Roberto Vally on bass and the wonderful Karen Briggs on violin. With these stellar performers complementing his usual excellent band of Jeff Kollman (guitar), Christopher Maloney (bass); Drew Megna (drums), and Steve Nieves (sax, percussion and vocals) the quality of ‘Diversify’ is never in question.

April 15, 2007

Smooth jazz lovers in the Chicago area who are seeking something different need look no further than the Sherman Music Hall, Governors State University, 1 University Parkway, University Park, Illinois where, on April 24, legendary flautist Bobbi Humphrey will be performing. There as part of Denise Jordan Walker’s latest Candid Jazz & Conversations, she will be featuring tracks from her recently re-released ‘Passion Flute’ that was first issued in 1994 and continues to be one of her fans’ all-time favorites. With a concept to showcase Bobbi in a cool jazz setting the album is replete with excellent mid-tempo sounds yet also includes a surprisingly up-tempo version of ‘Harlem River Drive’. Indeed, from the first track, the hauntingly smooth ‘Steppin’ Out’, right through to the soaring ‘Rainbows’ her passionate and pure flute playing is ever present.

The occasion promises to be one of Candid Jazz & Conversations really special nights and doors open at 6-30 PM for a show time of 7-30 PM. Tickets are $30 on the door but to purchase in advance at the special rate of $20 you should RSVP to candidjazz1@yahoo.com without delay.

April 13, 2007

‘Like Father Like Son’ is the latest CD by sax-man Ronnie Crumbly and its title holds the clue that on this one Ronnie isn’t alone. Crumbly, originally from Chicago and now based in Southern California, has recorded with Solomon Burke, Rose Royce and Vernell Brown Jr. In addition he has opened for The Rolling Stones, Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Eric Marienthal, Jeff Lorber and Patrice Rushen yet much of the current hype surrounding ‘Like Father Like Son’ is down to the fact he is the father of child prodigy bass player Joshua Crumbly. Also featured on the CD, and still only 15 years of age, Joshua has already performed with Victor Bailey, Phil Upchurch and James Ingram. He is the youngest ever musician to be endorsed by Fender and, in addition, has just won a five week summer scholarship to Berklee in Boston under the direction of Teri Lynn Carrington.

April 11, 2007

Deniece Williams has been making unforgettable music since as far back as her 1976 Columbia debut ‘This Is Niecy’. With a string of timeless hits her place as an all time R & B diva is assured and now she is back with ‘Love, Niecy Style’. This amazing collection of some of the best soul tunes ever is her first CD in almost ten years and is way above being just a bunch of covers. This in part is due to the assiduous selection of tracks, somewhat because the album contains two of her own great songs and also as a consequence of the awesome array of talent she has gathered to perform with her. The result is Williams own way of honouring some of the artists who have touched her career and a demonstration of what their music has meant to her.

April 09, 2007

April 1, 2007. Peter White is without doubt the leading smooth jazz protagonist of his time. His single releases invariably find their way to the top of the chart of most played on smooth jazz radio and across the USA he performs in front of concert and festival audiences that can often be numbered in their thousands. Yet despite all that there is something very special about seeing White play in a small club setting. It’s here that he always seems at his most comfortable and relaxed. When the venue happens to be in his native United Kingdom then the bond he finds with his audience seems even greater. It transmits itself in a fluent outpouring of his music that is always high on entertainment value. Such was the case at the Cinnamon Club in the southern suburbs of Manchester where Smooth Jazz Therapy was fortunate enough to catch the late show he played to a crowd of less than 60 people. This was his second visit in just six months and, although ostensibly there as a prelude to the seven nights he was scheduled to play at London’s Pizza On The Park’, the local faithful delighted in what he had to offer.

April 07, 2007

The explosive style of drummer Jeffery B. Suttles has been the soulful energizer for artists as diverse as Donny Osmond, En Vogue, Chante Moore, Sheena Easton and, most notably, Taylor Dayne. He appeared in the film “Coming to America” and has worked with everybody from Quincy Jones to Teena Marie. His debut CD, ‘Time to SuttleDown’ featuring the all-star lineup of Patrice Rushen, Ronnie Garrett, Eddie Miller, Alex Al, Larry Kimbel and Andrea Delano was released in 2006 but, inexplicably, slipped through the Smooth Jazz Therapy net. However this wonderful collection that includes nine of Suttles original compositions plus one excellent cover deserves some belated attention. It’s quite simply one of the best contemporary jazz CD’s of recent times.

April 05, 2007

With music that variously is gospel-tinged, soulful, rock inspired and downright funky Keite Young is all set to make his debut on the excellent Hidden Beach label with ‘The Rise and Fall of Keite Young’. Slated for release on June 12, 2007 it is an interesting showcase for this singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who was born and raised in Fort Worth Texas and whose musical influences include artists as diverse as Al Green, Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin Sly Stone and the Beatles. The collection, with Steve McKeever and Wayman Tisdale taking the credits for executive production, includes several tracks with the potential to cross over from R & B into the rock and pop market.

April 03, 2007

As smooth jazz continues to blur at the edges into vocal interpretations and urban flavors its worth picking out a hot new single from the urban side of the tracks that is smooth as smooth can be. From Carl Thomas, and in advance of his new album ‘So Much Better’ that hits record stores across America on May 22, ‘2 Pieces’ is already attracting significant radio play. Thomas originates from Aurora, Chicago and since his debut album ‘Emotional’ in 1999 has been getting noticed with the hit track ‘I Wish’ and projects that have included collaborations with LL Cool J and Brandy. ‘2 Pieces’ is a superb example of mellow urban R & B and comes highly recommended.

April 01, 2007

Khari Simmons and Julie Dexter are together in exciting style with their uniquely fresh CD ‘Moon Bossa’. It’s a celebration of Bossa Nova in its various styles and a homage to great songwriters such as Basia, Everything But The Girl, Swing Out Sister Sergio Mendes and Jobim whose compositions all grace the album. Now based in Atlanta GA Dexter is originally from Birmingham England and her collaboration with fellow Atlanta local Simmons, who can normally be found playing bass for India.Arie and fronting up his own band Jiva, owes much to the A & R input of Incognito mainstay Jean Paul 'Bluey' Maunick. It’s an influence that impacts the overall classy sophistication of ‘Moon Bossa’ and underpins the best modern soul styles of both artists.